<p>D has a classmate/friend who is passionate about one single school. Given the thread in which this is posted, you have guessed right that it is MIT. I am concerned that this boy is putting all his eggs in one basket. I was wondering what input you more experienced CCers might have to share.</p>
<p>He is a Caucasian male. He is a HS senior and is interested in studying physics but is involved in music (singing and instrumental) & theater. He is naturally smart. He is currently a national merit semi-finalist and has a 2350 SAT. Academically he is just now taking his first AP classes, AP Physics and AP Calculus (there are 9 possible). Last year, he opted to not take the two that were available to students their junior year; Chemistry and Biology. I am sure that beyond that he has been taking as many honors courses as are available to him (4 last year and 2 or 3 this year). I am guessing that his grades vary widely since I am confident that in certain subject his grades must be A/A+ but over the past 12 semesters he has never made high honor roll (all grades above 90) and has only made honor roll twice (all grades above an 80). </p>
<p>Can his high score and interests compensate for course selection and grades?</p>
<p>Do you have any advice that I can suggest that my daughter share?</p>
<p>Absolutely no one is guaranteed a spot in MIT. MIT is a top school and rejects many, many well-qualified applicants every year. While a lot of applicants have a "dream school", it's still important that he realistically have a Plan B and do his other applications. While his course selection and grades wouldn't be an absolute application killer, they won't be as high as many others who took all the APs offered and/or earned higher grades.</p>
<p>Chorus, A cappella group, band, jazz band, marching band, performs/competes in a "garage band", drama club (performs in all school plays/musicals), debate team, chess club, school magazine, photography club, on school's "America's Math Competition" team</p>
<p>I agree with the Plan B idea. I am not aware of one existing. I hate to hear of any kid only showing interest in one school especially when it is such a reach. When I see the parents next, in a couple of weeks, I may see if I can direct the conversation around this. Any schools that you can suggest that my daughter and/or I can slip into our conversations?</p>
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Any schools that you can suggest that my daughter and/or I can slip into our conversations?
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<p>What's he looking for in a school? A good physics program? Does urban vs. rural matter? Geographical area? Social scene?</p>
<p>I could suggest plenty of other schools with good physics and/or good sciences in general, but I don't want to, say, recommend a school in the Midwest if he only wants to live on the coasts.</p>
<p>Last I heard, he was only interested in MIT. He was planning to study Physics and I would assume that he would want to continue w/ his ECs. Unfortunately, that is all I have. Thanks</p>
<p>I'd say that without taking many of the available APs and making the high honor roll, his chances are very slim.<br>
Students who like MIT but don't have high prospects there should look at schools like RPI, WPI, Case Western, Rose-Hulman, Carnegie Mellon, and state unis with good engineering departments.</p>
<p>If "over the past 12 semesters he has never made high honor roll (all grades above 90) and has only made honor roll twice (all grades above an 80)" means he's gotten a C or worse every semester but two, that's going to be a huge concern.</p>
<p>I certainly hope I misinterpreted and that you mean this "honor roll" thing is cumulative; i.e. if you get but a single C, you can never make the honor roll.</p>
<p>My son wants to go to MIT or Cal Tech (which are reaches for the same reasons they are for your D's friend - very smart and gifted in math/science, music and theater ECs, but few APs - only a few offered at his school - and a low GPA due to a disinterest in the majority of his courses that did not deal with math or science or music).
So we are also looking at: Rose-Hulman, WPI, Rennsalear, Carnegie Mellon as possibles.
His safeties are local (WA) universities that he would hope to transfer out of and into a more math based curriculum but we are also looking into a couple of local small schools that have decent math programs despite the lack of prestige. (Idaho College, U of Puget Sound, Carroll College, Lewis and Clark)
I sure would try to advise your D's friend to look at some other places in case his dream school does not come through. There are a lot of folks who apply with incredible records of achievement who don't get accepted. Apply for sure, but hedge your bets.</p>